I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The iron chains, seemingly imbued with a spirit of resistance and rebellion, appear to have once been used to bind someone. Now, they have lost the binding meaning of 'chains,' becoming something that can instill courage and a fighting spirit in the wearer.

The so-called will to overcome adversity is the courage to never give up, and the fearlessness to resist no matter how powerful the enemy.

"The gift I gave to Nomiya is 'worthless.' It's a symbol of those bonds I received when I helped people 'break free.' It's a priceless treasure that means a lot to me."

"A phantom thief operation...?"

"Perhaps we can take advantage of this opportunity..."

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Handsome and Beautiful Ju Jingyi!

"Things for today are finally mostly sorted out..."

It was nearly evening.

After dropping Ayane off at the station heading to Abydos, Amamiya stretched in the sunset, stretching her body which had barely moved all day from handling paperwork.

"Okay, let's see if there's any special news today."

Feeling that it was about time, Amamiya took out her phone and, as usual, checked the invitations for the evening.

[Utahara: Sensei, regarding the research progress on "Eden Metal"...]

'...'

[Kotori: Sensei, are you free? It seems the engineering department has made some new progress~]

'...'

[Yuzu: Sensei, the game demo is finished... I need your approval...]

'...'

[Green: Sensei, do you have time? I'd like to meet with you alone... for on-site research.]

'...'

[Wakazama: What are you doing, darling...?]

'...'

[Aru: Sensei, about the club activity room at the convenience store...]

'...'

[Xiaoyu: I want to hear Sensei sing...]

'...'

【Hiyori: Sensei……】

'...'

[Maple Leaf: Sensei, shall we have a cooking practice today?]

[Maple Leaf: Also, thank you Sensei for the gift... It's very useful. It helped me escape many attacks from the Gourmet Research Society.]

As Amamiya gets to know more and more students, the number of invitations she receives every day only increases.

"Not long ago I was 'regretting' that there were almost no people who could come out and help in the evening, but now... I have to think about who to ask first in the evening."

Thinking about her recent 'troubles', Amamiya couldn't help but sigh, "It really does prove the saying 'life is unpredictable'."

"The most important task right now is to figure out what 'Celebrity Ju Jingyi' is thinking..."

After some thought, Amamiya didn't reply to anyone else's messages first. Instead, she opened Himari's chat window and sent her a message: 【I have a 'friend' you'll definitely be interested in, and I'd like to introduce her to you.】

On the other end of the communication, there was a reply in seconds.

[Himari: Heh... Sensei, who's never really cared about me, has finally taken the initiative to contact me...]

[Himari: The special being Sensei wanted to 'introduce' to me, I've already learned about it through the engineering department and the children of Beritas... It's that AI life form named "Sophia," right?]

[Himari: Since Sensei wants to come find me... then come to the "Special Phenomena Investigation Department".]

Amamiya was quite confident in the anti-hacking capabilities of his phone.

Although it's just an outdated old phone, because it contains Sophia's image and has been transformed by Sophia into her 'living area', this phone's anti-hacking capabilities are revolutionary.

It's safe to say that even a hacker of Chihiro's caliber couldn't have hacked into Amamiya's phone completely silently.

"So hackers really are a group of 'cyber creatures'..."

The reason she was able to reply to my messages so quickly was probably not because she could hack into my phone...

Rather, it's because she's almost always online, right?

After thinking for a moment, Amamiya decided to cancel all other evening invitations and go check out the "Special Phenomena Investigation Department".

After a brief rest in the evening, Amamiya drove his recently acquired official car, which was used for his travels, directly to the Millennium Paranormal Phenomena Investigation Department.

After taking in the unique nighttime scenery of Kiwatos, a 'near-future city,' Amamiya parked his car in the parking space below the building housing the Special Phenomena Investigation Department.

As is customary, after looking up at the building from downstairs to get a general overview, Amamiya naturally turned her attention to the short-haired pink girl standing at the entrance downstairs, dressed in a revealing outfit that was practically indistinguishable from a swimsuit.

She casually draped a long black coat over herself, carelessly exposing a stunning figure that was almost impossible for someone her age to possess, a figure that could rival the vast majority of adult women.

She still seemed to have some scars on her body, with bandages on her knees and shoulders, which added to her unique, almost 'naive' charm.

Pink hair, shotgun…

This combination reminded Amamiya of Hoshino from Abydos.

Compared to Hoshino, the girl in front of me, who also has pink hair... gives off a completely different feeling of distance, both in terms of 'figure' and 'temperament'.

[Assistant: Izumi Gen-Emi / The Unique Four-Dimensional Girl]

[Arcana: L'Empeur]

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

'Different from Kayoko's... a second "Emperor" card...'

Surprisingly, this seemingly 'naive and cute' girl is actually the holder of the Emperor card, which symbolizes masculinity and strength...

As Amamiya was sizing up the other person, the other person was also sizing up Amamiya with a gaze that was somewhere between scrutiny and something else entirely.

After their eyes met, she simply waved to Amamiya: "Hello, you're Sensei from Xia Lai, right?"

"I am Emi Izumimoto, a member of the Special Phenomena Investigation Department. I am here to wait for Sensei as instructed by the department head."

The moment he opened his mouth, Amamiya inexplicably felt as if he were listening to his poor buddy (Yusuke Kitagawa) speak.

Amamiya hummed in agreement, came to her side, and looked her over closely again.

Seemingly noticing Amamiya's gaze, the girl naturally stretched out her arms, allowing Amamiya to 'see her to her heart' without any hesitation. Then she simply explained her situation: "Is Sensei wondering why I'm dressed so 'revealingly'? It's because I often feel very hot."

Amamiya: "..."

Ok.

It seems... the "Special Phenomena Investigation Department" is quite "special" itself?

“Sensei, please come with me.”

Amy turned around and led Amamiya into the building where the 'Special Phenomena Investigation Department's' activity room was located.

After leading Amamiya through a winding corridor, she brought her to a club activity room that looked slightly unusual.

Amy stood outside the door, not rushing in, but knocking and giving a 'report' to those inside.

"Minister, I have brought Sensei."

The next moment, Amamiya heard a voice that sounded naturally like that of a 'cool and aloof beauty' who was trying too hard to be mature...

"Hehe... You've worked hard. So, what's next..."

"Sensei, or rather... 'Could I borrow a little of your time'?"

Amamiya glanced silently at Amy beside her, who calmly returned a look that said, "It's normal."

Immediately afterwards, Amy gave Amamiya a slight bow, indicating that she was not going to accompany him inside. After the bow, she turned and left.

"Hehe... How about it? Sensei, right here in the room before you is Minister Beritas and head of the Paranormal Phenomena Investigation Department... the strongest genius of the millennium, the pure, sickly, beautiful hacker, star Himari."

"Wouldn't you feel nervous talking to such an unattainable beauty, the strongest in a thousand years, who has obtained the degree of 'omniscience'?"

Amamiya: ?

He originally thought that Amy's personality might be closer to his understanding of 'Yusuke Kitagawa'...

So it turns out that Himari, the star who is the department head, is the one who best matches Kitagawa Yusuke's personality?

For some reason, the moment Amamiya heard the other party's series of introductions, the image of the 'RPG game sage' and 'cold and indifferent silver-haired female elf' that Momoi and Midori had created in her mind shattered instantly.

Amamiya stood silently outside the door.

Himari, who was inside the room, seemed to be able to clearly see Amamiya's 'hesitation' and 'doubt'. After pausing and waiting for a while, seeing that Amamiya still had no reaction, she continued, "Are you hesitating? Are you afraid?"

"Hehe...this doesn't fit the impression you've always given me, does it?"

Amamiya broke her silence and decisively pushed open the door.

A dimly lit scene with insufficient light, and an indoor landscape deliberately created by the fluorescent lights on the screen, appeared before Amamiya's eyes.

Sitting in a 'high-tech wheelchair,' dressed in a beige long-sleeved dress that was relatively 'conservative' and 'outdated' compared to Kivotos, yet still exuded an aristocratic air, she possessed a vulnerability that made one want to pity her at first glance.

Her white hair was braided into two princess braids that fell naturally to her chest, adorned with a fragrant flower pendant and a matching headband, completing the final part of her 'high-mountain flower' look.

[Assistant: Celebrity Himari / The High-Class Beauty in a Wheelchair]

[Arcana: Birds and Fish (LES OISEAUX ET LES POISSONS)]

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

'Oh... I've seen another Etteilla Tarot card... almost equivalent to the "Empress" card.'

Birds and fish, or "birds and fish," is a relatively special card.

This card depicts a withered tree by a river, where birds perch.

Beside the tree is a babbling brook, in which schools of fish swim.

The birds on the branches lowered their heads, watching the fish in the river below.

The fish in the water tilted their heads back, watching the birds on the treetops.

The word in its upright position is 【APPUI】, which means "support; backing; assistance".

The reversed word is 【PROTECTION】, which means "protection; defense; protection".

The inscription on both sides, 【LES OISEAUX ET LES POISSONS】, can be directly translated as "Birds and Fish".

This card symbolizes the "future"... In the not-too-distant future, there will be secret enemies as well as close friends.

At the same time, it also symbolizes "help that is not yet known" and "plans and goals will be achieved faster than expected".

When used in relation to interpersonal relationships, this card also signifies reconciliation (finally reconciling with friends who have differing opinions) and reconciliation (the restoration of a broken friendship).

“Sensei’s eyes…are really interesting.”

"I sensed something... an invasion that seemed to peel away every layer of the heart's defenses... Heh. Is this the keen observation of the 'Heart Thief'?"

Her pale purple eyes revealed undisguised observation and interest. While naturally enduring the hallucinations of Amamiya's third eye, Himari made a comment in a tone as nonchalant as possible.

Let's get straight to the point.

Amamiya's impression of this 'high-class beauty in a wheelchair' was neither good nor bad.

Feeling that she didn't really have anything to talk about with the other person, Amamiya decisively skipped the small talk phase.

"Let's talk about the 'Games Club'..."

Chapter Twenty-Six: Sophia: Grandma Riju!

"Let's talk about the 'Games Club'..."

Before Amamiya could skip the casual 'chat' and get straight to the point, Himari raised her hand slightly in a very 'ladylike' and elegant manner.

"Please wait a moment... Sensei."